


All I Need Darling Is A Life In Your Shape

by WowzaPigs



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: F/F, RaPr, Slow Burn, tagf, tatr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-01-26 02:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21366907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WowzaPigs/pseuds/WowzaPigs
Summary: Child x Irken shippers do not read this please respect my boundaries.Tak crash lands on planet Meekrob and meets the invader who lives there.Tenn is supposed to alert the massive of her arrival, but doesn’t.They both learn a little bit about what it means to be an Irken.
Relationships: Almighty Tallest Purple/Almighty Tallest Red, Gaz & Tak (Invader Zim), Tak & Keef (Invader Zim), Tak/Invader Tenn
Comments: 48
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

Invader Tenn was competent. She had to be. With a brother like Zim your name gets around, and not in a good way. So Tenn kept her head down and worked hard. She obeyed every order, she followed every rule, and she was the best at her job. Until Tak arrived. 

Tak arrived on planet Meekrob with scrapes and bruises unbefitting of an Irken. She was delirious, and barely conscious at all, but she grasped Tenn’s arm weakly as Tenn lifted her from the wreckage of her pod. Tenn tried her best to ignore the pressure. She carried Tak back to her base and treated her wounds. 

Her first course of action should have been to contact the Massive and alert them of Tak’s presence on the planet. But Tak was so weak in this state. Surely she had come a long way. That was Tenn’s first sign of deviance. Already she had begun to falter.

Tak rested on the couch as Tenn bandaged her broken arm, and only stirred when Tenn straightened out her antennae gently. Tenn had done everything she could. Irkens did not provide comfort for each other. Only medical aid, if it was required.

Tak sat up slowly, but winced as her head pounded terribly.   
“Try not to agitate your injuries. You’d better stay seated for now. I’ll-“ Tenn hesitated, and then shook her head. Calling the Massive could wait.

Tak looked down at her cleaned and bandaged injuries with faint surprise, moving her limbs experimentally. She frowned at her broken arm and brought it close to her, wincing at the sensation.

“Yeah, try not to move it too much. I’ve bandaged it, but you need to keep it still so it will set, okay?”

Tak turned her attention to Tenn completely for the first time, nodding vaguely in affirmation.

“Yes, of course. I suppose I should thank you. For treating me.” Her voice was subdued, and she spoke every word as though it pained her. It probably did. 

Tenn moved from the couch next to Tak to a seat across from her, suddenly very aware of their proximity now that she wasn’t treating Tak.

“A medical Irken probably could have done more for you. I picked up a few things from my invader training, but… this will have to do for now.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle.” 

“Right. Can you tell me how you got here? Irkens don’t exactly fall from the sky every day.”

Tak scowled, more at herself than anything, and nodded.

“Yes. I was ejected from planet Earth by invader Zim, and the escape pod was set to the nearest Irken signal in the galaxy. Obviously, you have the closest assignment to planet Earth.”

“Ugh, Zim. I should have guessed.”

“You know him personally?”

“Unfortunately. He’s my brother. He’s been causing me trouble since we were smeets. I can only assume your encounters with him have been similarly troublesome.”

“Yes. Zim has caused me a great deal of suffering. I was hoping to take his mission and claim my rightful place as an Invader, but…” Tak’s scowl deepened, and she felt a gnawing pit of shame inside of her at the thought of that horribly incompetent Irken and the human children outsmarting her.

Tenn nodded, understanding.

“Zim’s a dangerous character. Idiotic, but dangerous nonetheless. It’s for the best that he’s been given a fake mission. His presence has been a disaster for any Irken who comes into contact with him. I don’t blame you for underestimating him.”

Tak’s shoulders heaved in relief, even though she knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet. It was nice to have Tenn’s understanding. Her relief turned to panic when her mind finally cleared enough to register the empty space next to her.

“Mimi. Where’s Mimi? She was with me in the pod.”

“Mimi?”

“My SIR unit. I know she was with me. Have you seen her?”

Tenn shook her head. Tak had been the only one in the ship. She hadn’t seen a SIR unit.

“I haven’t seen her, but maybe my SIR unit can help look for her. Right now, though, you should rest.”

“You know my superiors will kill me for losing a SIR unit. Besides, Mimi… I just want her back.”

“It’ll be taken care of. Just worry about yourself for now.”

Tak sighed quietly and rested back against the couch.

“I don’t know why you care so much. You shouldn’t be worried about me. I’ve been through invader training too, you know.”

“But you’re not an invader? How come?”

Tak noticed Tenn change the subject. Credit where it was due: Tenn was good at diversion.

“Zim caused a power outage which disrupted my testing. I was sentenced to be a janitorial drone on planet Dirt for another seventy years. A disgrace and a waste of my talents. But I escaped to planet Earth. I knew if I could pull off something amazing for the Tallest, they would see that I was truly worthy of becoming an invader.”

“You disobeyed your assignment?” Tenn pauses at Tak’s guilty expression. “I guess you’d get in trouble if I contacted the Massive now then. It can wait. You should heal first.”

Tak opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing. She nodded silently, gratitude unspoken but understood. Her eyes began to flutter shut again, but she shook herself awake, struggling not to aggravate her broken arm.

“So, uh. How far along are you in the invasion of this planet?”

Tenn shrugged. “Not very far. The Tallest accidentally sent me some defective parts, and it’s been slow going, since my cover was nearly blown.”

“Do you like being an invader?”

Tenn paused, looking at Tak out of the corner of her eye.

“I’m good at it.”

Tak hummed in acknowledgement. What Tenn didn’t say said a lot more than what she did. Tak would have given anything to be an invader. How could someone like Tenn not love what she did?

“I should let you get on with it then. I’ll just, uh, stay here for now.”

“No,” Tenn said, perhaps a little too quickly, “I’m not in any hurry to get back to work. I’m happy to stay and keep you company for a bit. That is, if you don’t mind.”

That wasn’t the correct response. But somehow, Tak didn’t care. Maybe the crash hit her harder than she thought, and she was delirious from being knocked out. Nothing ever felt like this. She’d been happy before, of course. She had been happy when she escaped her janitorial duties. She had been happy when she beat Zim. This was different. Tenn was different.

Definitely too much PAK trauma, Tak thought to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are ending up being really short (only ~1000 words each), but hopefully that’s okay and it just means I can get them out quickly without losing steam. Thanks for the support everyone.

Irkens don’t take long to heal. Tenn knew this, which is why she hung around Tak so much while she was recovering. 

Give me a reason to care about you.

Tenn was going to have to choose between Tak’s wellbeing and her loyalty to the empire. She couldn’t have both.

That question was a good distraction from the one she was trying not to ask herself: why she cared about what happened to Tak at all.

Invaders don’t care for others. They don’t have friends. They certainly don’t love. That would get in the way of their loyalty to the Empire, and to their leaders.

Tak began to move around the base after one day of recovery. She had wanted to go outside to look for MiMi, but Tenn wouldn’t allow it. She had no disguise, she was wounded, and she probably wouldn’t even find the SIR. 

Tenn worked in her lair, but she allowed Tak to oversee her progress. She was surprised to learn that Tak had a tactical mind, ideal for making plans. She could see how to get from A to B in a way that Tenn couldn’t.

Tenn even found that she liked having Tak around. She was snarky and easily agitated, but she was funny, too. When she got caught up in an idea, she practically transformed. 

Tenn knew she deserved more than janitorial service. But her leaders didn’t. Which is why when the Tallest sent a transmission through, she pushed Tak into the other room and hid her. 

Which is why when she gave her report of the events of the past week, she didn’t mention that a rogue Irken had crashed from the sky.

Which is why, for the first time in her life, she lied directly to the faces of her Tallest.

Tak was shaken as she emerged from the other room. 

“I don’t understand why you would do that.”

It wasn’t a question, but Tenn knew she was looking for an explanation. That made two of them.

“I’m helping you out, okay? We still need to find your SIR before you can leave.”

“Right. MiMi. You know delaying my punishment won’t make it any less severe. I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

“I like having you around.” Tenn said simply. Tak shot her a sharp look. Irken Invaders shouldn’t talk that way. “You’re… helpful.”

Of course, helpful wasn’t the first word that came to Tenn’s mind. But nobody needed to know that. 

Tenn’s sir had done a quick scan of the area for Irken technology. Besides Tak’s ship, there was one other signal, emanating from a nearby spot on the planet.

“The issue,” Tenn explained, “is that the dominant species here is very dangerous, and a disguise isn’t easy to make. I’ve been disguising myself as some of the native animal life here, but that means assimilation with the Meekrob is slow. My point is, a retrieval mission now will be difficult and dangerous. We should attempt communication with the SIR first.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense. How do we do that?”

“My SIR can send out a signal. Hopefully yours can pick it up and send one back. That’s the idea, anyways. If she’s powered down, she won’t be able to receive the signal. That’s when a rescue mission might be necessary.”

“Okay. I hope this works, Tenn.”

“We should give MiMi a few days to reply before we go out to look for her.”

A few days. Tenn couldn’t delay the decision forever. 

“Are you going to be okay, back with the empire?”

Tak’s expression fell, but she did her best not to let her hesitance show.

“I don’t know. I did disobey my programming. I can only hope for a lenient punishment. Everything I did was for the Empire. Hopefully the Tallest will understand that.”

“They’re not exactly the understanding type.”

“Well, I can’t exactly stay here. I have to face the music eventually.”

Tenn paused, a few seconds longer than she should have. Every second incriminated her, but so would the wrong answer.

“Wouldn’t it be nice, though?”

Tak stood up.

“I won’t let you pursue this line of thought. It’s too dangerous. I’m going upstairs.”

Tenn sighed as Tak returned to the main part of the base. 

“Too dangerous?” What was that supposed to mean? Tenn scuffed the ground with her boot in frustration, and tried to turn her attention back to her work. But more than ever now, her work was like a stone wheel, grinding away at her soul until her mind fuzzed over and she could barely process the task she was meant to be doing.

Tenn wasn’t crying, because invaders don’t cry. And Tenn was a competent invader. She had to be.

Upstairs, Tak paced restlessly. Seven strides to the edge of the room, and then all the way back again. Neat and even steps to drown away the noise in her head. 

One. She had gone against her coding. Two. She had hidden from her Tallest and allowed Tenn to lie for her. Three. She was feeling something that she was pretty sure was forbidden. Four. She had failed against the most incompetent invader to ever live. Five. She had lost her SIR unit and was unsure if she could be retrieved. Six. She had left her ship near Earth, and it was likely gone forever. Seven. She had failed to do the one thing that might have redeemed her in the eyes of her leaders.

Things were decidedly not looking good for Tak, and she had just pushed away the one person who was willing to help. For what? Fear? Tak pushed that thought down. The last thing she needed right now was to be feeling fear.

No, it wasn’t fear that drove her, she told herself, but an acceptance of the inevitable. Tenn and Tak could never make it in this world. Everything was against them. The dice were stacked. Better to just accept her punishment. She almost believed it.

Tak heard Tenn come up, and quickly stopped pacing, instead walking over to Tenn.

“I’m sorry,” they both said at the same time, and then laughed. Tenn noted that Tak’s laugh was extremely cute.

“You know,” Tenn said, “this planet’s primary life form makes some good entertainment.”

It turns out, it’s easy to stop thinking about your worries when you’re curled up on the couch next to someone else.

A few days. They had a few days before anything happened.

Well, Tenn thought, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After I posted the first chapter of this, I looked into the tatr tag in ao3. There are only like 5 fics, and most of them also feature za/dr. I am astounded. I have to do all the work around here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit delayed due to exams but I’m really proud of some of the writing in this. Hope it’s satisfactory!

As much as Tak wanted to put it off, MiMi was still missing, and every day her anxiety grew. 

“Tenn. Will you help me create a suitable disguise for this planet? I want to look for Mimi.”

“Sure, but hopefully you won’t need to use it. My base is pretty far away from any Meekrob civilisation. I’m coming with you. We can track the signal my SIR found. Hopefully we can find her together.”

“I…” Tak’s resolve hardened. “I want to thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Tenn smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure you say that to every Irken who saves your life and nurses you back to health.”

And there it was, out in the open. Because Irkens don’t do that. They don’t care, they don’t help each other, and they don’t thank each other. And yet here they were. The sky hadn’t fallen down, and the Tallest hadn’t come to personally murder them for being defective yet. There was no consequence for being happy.

“Computer, make a disguise for Tak.”

The creature Tenn had disguised herself as was vaguely humanoid (irkenoid?), while sporting webbed feet and cyan-colored fur. Tenn had explained that this creature spent some of its time on water and some in land. Of course, Irkens couldn’t go in water, no matter what disguise they were wearing. Tak wouldn’t need to use the disguise unless she encountered a Meekrob, but now at least she was prepared for that eventuality. 

“I’ve tracked what I assume is MiMi’s signal to a place nearby. There’s a small mountain range, really rocky. Hopefully we’ll find her there. With any luck, we won’t even need to encounter any Meekrob. Just a quick retrieval mission.”

Tak nodded.

“Are we ready to go, then? I don’t want to delay any more.” 

“Yes, lets go.”

They left the safety of Tenn’s base and for the first time Tak emerged onto the surface of planet Meekrob. Tenn’s base stood atop a plateau, overlooking a valley overflowing with foliage of many different colors.

This planet was very different from Irk, Tak thought. It would be a shame when the Armada destroyed the native life here.

Tenn guided Tak to a Voot cruiser parked nearby, which was disguised as a large boulder. The ship was clearly designed for one Irken in mind, but they made do with the cramped space.

Of course, the proximity did not help with the arising feelings of fondness Tak was trying to push down. She could tuck that thought away for later, when she was alone. Her mission now was to find MiMi.

The cruiser stopped near a small mountain range. There was no foliage here, and the craggy rocks pierced the sky like so many broken teeth. This was where MiMi had gone, and not returned from. A breeze blew through the rocks, creating an ominous whistling sound, a low howl that rose up through the terrain and up into the open cloudless sky. The air here was dry and hot, and the sun beat down on Tak’s back as she made her way towards the mountains.

She raised a hand to the rocky surface of the mountain, Tenn trailing behind her. She faced the towering mass of stone, face set in a determined frown.

“Can your signal pinpoint a specific location, or is this as much as we’re going to get?”

“I can’t get a closer reading than this.” 

Tak hoisted herself onto the rocky ledge and began to climb, but winced at the sharpness of the rock and the agitation of her arm. Although it was mostly healed, it was still sore to put pressure on. Before she could attempt to push the pain down and scale the rock once more, Tak was close behind her.

“Hold on,” Tenn said, hoisting herself up instead. She reached her arms out to Tak, who took them and allowed herself to be lifted up onto the ledge with a little effort. Stronger than she looked, apparently. Now that was another thing Tak didn’t need to think about at that moment, not to mention Tenn’s arms around her midsection as she lifted her up, the intimate position neither of them could ever allow to happen naturally.

Then the moment was over and Tak was sprawled on the ledge, while Tenn panted and laughed quietly in the background. 

“Come on, Tak, it looks like there’s a fairly easy way up here we can take.”

So they climbed higher and higher, surveying the land around them for any signs of a stray SIR unit. The rocks yielded no answer, and were beginning to wear small blisters in the palms of Tak’s hands. The heat wasn’t helping, either, and so by the time they reached the peak of the mountain, both Irkens were exhausted from the climb.

“Let’s take a break,” Tenn suggested, “and then we can climb down the other side and look for her there.”

Tak’s desperation had grown as they climbed, and she was anxious to find MiMi, but she didn’t feel she could climb any more. She hesitantly nodded in agreement, practically collapsing on the flattest rock she could find.

“Do you think we’re going to find her, Tenn?” Tak stared at the empty sky, not meeting Tenn’s eyes.

“Yeah, I think we will. We just have to keep looking. She has to be here somewhere. Chin up, Tak. You’re an invader.”

Tak laughed. “No I’m not.”

“You should have been. You trained the same as everybody else. The only reason you’re not is…”

“Zim,” Tak finished with a grimace.

“Exactly! You should have had your shot, same as everybody else. The control brains were wrong to deny you.”

Now there was a dangerous thought. The control brains were wrong. It sat in Tak’s mind, self-righteous and rebellious in a way Tak had never felt before. Yeah! She should have been an invader. She should have had her chance!

She suddenly stood up, disturbed at the rebellious and illegal thoughts entering her mind.

“Let’s keep looking down the other side.”

It wasn’t much of a break, but Tak wasn’t prepared to sit there a moment longer.

Descending the other side of the mountain was easier, but both girls were already tired and hot, and there was little relief from the sun to be found amongst the searing rocks. So when they encountered a cool, dark cave, both rushed into it without a second thought. The darkness of the cave enveloped them, sheltering them from the blistering sun outside.

Tak raised an arm to her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed there. They hadn’t found MiMi yet, but already she was considering giving up and going back to the comfortable safety of Tenn’s base. Fortunately, Irken invaders were built for discomfort and danger. They were going to find MiMi, Tak told herself, or they were going to keep looking until they couldn’t anymore.

That’s when she heard a loud noise from deep within the cave.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stopped studying for my exams to write this. Worth it. Literally every time I update this fic it gets more tender.
> 
> In other news, the overall plot of this fic is starting to come together in my mind’s eye. I have lots of good plans for the future, so you can expect this to be fairly long. I’m very, very excited.

The unmistakable scrape of metal from deep within the cave made both of them wince. The realisation hit them both at the same time. Tak rushed further into the cave, sprinting across the increasingly dark floor. Faster and faster, deeper and deeper. MiMi was in this cave, she could feel it in her bones. Tenn followed close behind her, easily keeping up with Tak.

She must be getting close. Just a few more steps, and she would-

Tak yelled as she was tackled hard, hitting the stone floor of the cave. Tenn panted as she pushed herself off of Tak, helping her up in the process.

“Tenn, what was that-“ Tak’s accusatory tone trailed off as the sound of rushing water hit her. Experimentally, she reached her gloved hand out into the dim cave before her, feeling along the ground until she found water, just feet away from where Tenn had stopped her.

She couldn’t see Tenn apart from a dark silhouette in the near pitch-black of the cave, but she reached a hand out to touch hers, holding it close.

“Thanks, Tenn.” She was breathless, and fear lined her voice. That was a very close call.

“Don’t mention it. We’ll have to be careful here. Stay close to me.”

Well, Irken invaders didn’t hold hands. But around a dangerous body of water, one must take every precaution.

Slowly, the pair edged around the underwater pool, pressed against the wall of the cave. 

As they made their way deeper into the cave, a dim, flickering light became visible before them, brighter and brighter. The water had almost disappeared here, meaning they could move at a faster pace. As they got closer, the source of the light came into view. MiMi lay inside the cave, trapped underneath a large rock. As she caught sight of Tak and Tenn, she began to thrash violently against it, to no avail. Her body was pinned to the ground by the rock, and she was unable to move at all.

“MiMi!” Tak cried, rushing up to the small robot. “Tenn, help me lift this off of her.”

Both Irkens struggled to lift the rock, but even their combined strength couldn’t free MiMi. Tak kicked the boulder in frustration, face sour.

“Mimi, how did this happen?” The SIR, of course, was silent, only pushing harder against the boulder trapping her. Tak sat down next to MiMi. She pressed a gloved hand to MiMi’s metal, and sighed.

“How are we going to get her out? We’re not strong enough to lift her out, and the cave is too narrow to bring the Voot Cruiser in. We found her, but she’s too broken to free herself. It’s hopeless.”

Tenn sat next to Tak on the cold stone floor.

“I may have an idea.” Tenn’s PAK activated, her PAK legs extending. “It might be possible to cut through the stone with my PAK’s laser cutters.”

Tak stiffened. “MiMi could be hurt. It would be very dangerous.”

“I’ll be careful.” Not getting any reply except for tense silence, Tenn took Tak’s hand in her own. “You trust me, right? I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Tak slumped down, pressing her face into Tenn’s shoulder in what could be an approximation of a hug, if Irken invaders hugged each other.

“Alright, you can try. Just be careful, please.”

“Of course I will.”

Tenn gave Tak’s hand one final comforting squeeze before standing up, PAK legs aimed at the offending boulder. Tak watched anxiously as she began to cut away chunks of rock, taking it apart slowly so as not to take her laser near the small robot. After a few minutes of this, most of the rock was cut away, scattered at her feet in so many pieces. The remaining slab of rock she lifted away, freeing MiMi. 

The SIR lifted herself up, and then dropped down again, obviously damaged by the boulder. Tak scooped her up, cradling the SIR gently in her arms.

“Thank you, Tenn,” she said quietly. “Let’s go.”

They left the cave much the same way they’d entered it. The sun was now low on the horizon, making the shadows long and the landscape look changed. They descended the rocky slope and circled back around to the Voot cruiser. 

The ride back to Tenn’s base was silent, but it was a comfortable, tired silence. The kind you could sink into like a blanket. MiMi was safe. That brought its own set of problems, but for now there was only a profound sense of relief. Everything else could wait.

When they reached the base, Tak deposited MiMi onto Tenn’s workbench, where she went into sleep mode.

Tak ascended to the upper part of the base, joining Tenn on the couch.

“Well, we found her.” Tak sighed. She didn’t want to have to face the empire just yet. She didn’t want to leave Tenn.

“We should fix her up before you leave. You know, so you don’t get in trouble for the damage done to her.”

“And how long do you think that will take?”

Tenn met Tak’s eyes, smiling ever-so-slightly.

“Who knows? It could take a while, I imagine. But you’re in no hurry to get back to Irk, are you?”

Tak broke out into a grin.

“It’s definitely more practical to fix her here.”

“Right. More practical,” Tenn agreed, nodding. Of course, practicality was the last thing on either of their minds. It was as good an excuse as any, though.

“I guess I’ll be extending my stay indefinitely.”

“I guess so.”

The thing that went unsaid hung in the air, almost tangible. The deadline for putting a name on this feeling had just been extended. 

They were two irken invaders. But tonight, the empire wasn’t here. Just two irkens, secluded from the rest of the universe. They were content to be irkens, and not invaders, for one night.

Tenn leaned over and rested her head on Tak’s shoulder. They both rested, undisturbed, for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than usual! My motivation is all over the place and I have a million projects going at once usually. I promise I’m still going strong with this, though.
> 
> Soon I’ll be on vacation with my mom so I won’t be able to write as much. 
> 
> But hey, if you like my storytelling and want to follow something that actually updates fairly regularly, you can check out my iz askblogs on tumblr, @minus-zek and @fizzy-irken. That’s my only other big iz project at the moment.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy the chapter I’ll try to post another one soon!

The morning came with the disruption of an incoming call. Shaking Tenn awake, Tak gestured wildly to the screen, panic evident on her face.

Tenn blinked a few times as the world asserted itself.

“Shit. Get out of the camera’s view. I have to take this.”

Tak hurriedly moved towards the bases exit, until she was sure she wouldn’t be noticed by the caller.

“Computer, send the transmission through.”

The computer screen flickered to life with the faces of the Almighty Tallest. Tak’s blood ran cold. They were in danger of being found out. They could have been found out, if she had been any slower to move.

“My Tallest!” Tenn greeted them nervously, trying not to give away that anything was wrong.

“Ah, greetings, Invader Tenn.” Tallest Red replied, nudging Purple. “See, I told you she was fine,” he muttered.

“What’s wrong, my Tallest?”

Purple spoke up. “You forgot to give us your weekly report, soldier. You’re usually very punctual. What happened?”

Tenn’s eyes went wide. How could she forget?

“My apologies, my Tallest. It must have slipped my mind. I’ve been very busy over the past few days, you see.”

“So I take it the invasion of Meekrob is going well?” Red asked.

Tenn’s eyes slid towards Tak, and then back to the Tallest.

“Very well, my Tallest,” she lied. 

‘Blorch, home of the slaughtering rat people’ was a shocking title, but make no mistake: the Tallest had given the hardest assignment to Tenn. No matter how hard she worked for the Empire, there never seemed to be any reward.

She might be treated as a hero back home, but a hero’s treatment on Irk mostly consisted of resentment. She used to be okay with that. She used to dream of returning to Irk, having conquered this planet, and rubbing it in the faces of everyone who had ever doubted her. What had changed?

“Good, good,” even now, Tallest Red seemed uninterested, disconnected from the conversation. He probably didn’t care about her answer as much as he cared about the slushie in his hands. “Well, we were just making sure you weren’t killed or anything.”

Purple seemed to be gently urging Red to end the call in the background. “Yeah, good work, Invader. We have to go now.”

The line was terminated, and Tenn let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“Well, that was stressful!”

“Do the Tallest always brush you off like that? I thought they only did that to Zim, due to his horrible incompetence.”

Tenn grimaced. “Well, not always. They usually listen to what I have to say. But I never really get the impression that they care at all. Those two only really care about snacks. Well, snacks and each other.”

Tak’s head lifted suddenly, surprised. “What?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Those two are the Empire’s worst kept secret.” Tenn rolled her eyes. “Every invader knows those two are in love. You get used to it after having to deal with it every week.”

“But… that’s illegal.”

Tenn shrugged. “They’re the Tallest. Who’s going to stop them?”

Tak stared at her in surprise. She never would have thought that the Tallest…

Tenn slid off the couch, stretching. “Anyways, you want something to eat? I’m starved.”

Both Irkens headed into the kitchen. Tak leaned against the counter while Tenn rummaged through her cupboards for something to eat. 

“I have some muffins. Want to share them down in the lab? I’ll start the repairs on MiMi.”

“Sure.”

Tenn piled her arms high with snacks, and the pair descended into the bowels of the base, where MiMi was still powered off on the workbench. Tenn examined her thoroughly, turning the robot over to take in the full scope of the damage.

Tak perched on a chair nearby, watching intently. After a few minutes of solemn silence, Tenn stood up.

“The good news it that none of her vital circuitry has been destroyed. The damage is definitely salvageable.”

Tak let out a sigh of relief, crumpling in on herself slightly. 

“Will you bring me my toolbox? It should be in the corner.”

Tak stood to collect the toolbox, dragging it over to Tenn’s workbench as Tenn looked for where to begin repairs on MiMi. She worked in silence for a tense minute, before speaking up, never taking her eyes off of her work.

“Talk to me. Tell me a story or something, it’ll help me focus.”

“What kind of story?” Tak asked.

“I don’t know. Tell me a story about your training on Irk, or your time on Earth, or anything, really. Your choice.”

“Alright…” Tak scuffed the ground with her boot as she struggled to think of a story worth telling. 

“I stayed a while on Earth, before confronting Zim. I learned the customs of the people there, I read up on their history and their technological advancements. But I always kept my distance. I tried to interact with the humans as little as possible. However, there were some times when it was unavoidable to make contact with them. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but human technology is… iffy at best. It only does its job half the time.

“Which is how I end up trapped inside a human elevator with five other people. I had previously found taking the elevator to be easier than the stairs, but clearly human machines can’t be trusted with the simple task of moving up and down. Anyhow, it stopped suddenly, and initially we all had the same response: anger. Obviously these humans had things to do they deemed important, and weren’t exactly happy to be stuck. But… after a few minutes, they stopped trying to get out. I could have easily gotten out, of course, but that would have meant compromising my human identity. One human adolescent procured a bag of chips and started sharing them around. 

“I had nothing better to do, so I listened in on their conversation. They talked like they’d known each other for years. They talked about stupid, meaningless things. There wasn’t really any purpose to the conversation, besides to pass the time. They didn’t even have much in common, by the sounds of it. It was the strangest thing, how they all came together and formed a group, despite or even because of the bad situation. One even asked me where I dyed my hair.”

Tenn chuckled.

“Eventually they got the elevator working again and we got out. But I learned a lot about the humans that day. They don’t need a reason to do things. They do whatever they want, and they don’t care about the big picture. It’s… somewhat endearing, despite the problems it causes them.”

Tenn smiled at Tak’s story.

“Earth sounds nice. You should take me there one day.”

Tak almost argued, but she didn’t.

“Maybe one day.”


	6. Chapter 6

And so things went, for a while. Tak and Tenn slipped into a comfortable routine, and the small home was filled with life. Tenn was a morning person, and Tak wasn’t, so Tenn would wake up earlier and prepare something for them to eat. She’d leave it out for Tak and head down to the lower base to work on MiMi. Tak would come down later in the morning and sit with her while she worked, rambling about various things and keeping her company.

Tak’s presence became familiar, and Tenn found it hard to remember that she hadn’t always had a companion with her while she worked.

After a while they would take a break and have lunch, and they would sit and talk about anything and everything. Then Tenn would work on her mission; she was still an invader, after all. Progress had slowed since Tak arrived, but Tenn found that she didn’t mind. Usually she was an overachiever, but she found it harder to focus when Tak was around. 

Tenn was extra careful not to miss her next update to the Tallest. She didn’t like thinking about the fact that she was lying to them for too long; it made her feel nervous and wrong. Plus, maybe a little, tiny bit rebellious. But at this point, she’d lie to their faces a million times before betraying Tak’s trust.

A week passed, and then two. MiMi’s repairs were nearing completion, and they both knew it. The ever-present deadline loomed above them, and their excuses were running out. Tak knew she couldn’t just go back to the Empire now. But could she stay here with Tenn? Keep lying to the Empire forever? Somehow, that possibility didn’t seem ideal either. Something was bound to break, and the possibility made her nervous.

They sat together on the back steps of the base, sharing a moment outside in the sharp autumn night air. Tenn sighed.

“I need to go into the Meekrob capital tomorrow to gather some information. You should stay here, it might be dangerous,” she said.

“If it’s dangerous, I should go with you.”

Tenn smiled. “Tak, I’ve done this a million times already. I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll be back by morning the next day.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“It’s not a big deal, Tak. I’ve been on Meekrob for a long time. I’m a trained invader. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Well, I trust you to know what you’re doing, Tenn. I hope the mission goes well,” Tak conceded.

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Tenn shifted restlessly, leaning onto her back to look up at a sky full of stars. Wherever she was, whether it was on Irk or here, she looked up at the same stars. Whatever changed, they remained constant. They brought her some comfort, twinkling coldly in their set places in the sky. “It’s hard to remember what I’m even doing this for, lately. I just don’t think Irk or the Empire or the Tallest will ever care about us. I used to be fine with just doing things for the glory of the Empire, but lately I’m doubting that, more and more. If there was ever a point to any of this, I don’t remember it.”

“Then just stay here tomorrow,” Tak said simply. “Just stay with me, and I can tell you a story, and we can have lunch together in the sun, and we can put on a movie.”

Tenn laughed. “What, you don’t think that’s a dangerously rebellious idea?”

“I’m the same as you, Tenn. The Empire will never take me back. They want more and more, the constant expansion… I used to get caught up in the grandeur of it all. But things are different now. We don’t need an empire, Tenn. We just need one planet. One place to call home, and that’s enough for me.”

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. We really can’t stay here forever. We’re already on borrowed time. The Tallest expect me to conquer this planet at some point. I just wish we didn’t have to worry about them. I wish we had an easy solution to these problems.”

“Well… aren’t they all my problems? I mean, you were content being an Invader before I showed up. And you’re still in the Tallest’s good graces. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“Tak, don’t talk like that. None of this is your fault.”

“Isn’t it, though?” Tak tilted her head away from Tenn, studying the cold stone of the stairs.

And Tenn wanted to say it there, underneath the boundless night sky. She wanted to say it more than she wanted to breathe. But it was like there was a wall between her and the action. She could entertain the idea, sure, but committing to vulnerability was a different altogether.

“Do you really think I was satisfied before you showed up? Sure, I was good at my job, I was high in the Irken social ladder, and I had a stable career, but none of that ever brought me any real happiness. I always imagined I’d slave away for the Empire until I died and quite frankly the thought depressed me. You crashing here was the best thing to ever happen to me. So don’t blame yourself for anything. We’re two strong, capable Irkens, and we can get through this. We’ll find the light at the end of the tunnel, Tak. You just wait and see.”

Tak smiled shakily, and when she finally spoke her voice faltered.

“You always know what to say, huh?”

Tak pressed her head into Tenn’s shoulder. Tenn held her closer, hoping to be some comfort to her. Putting words to what she felt was hard for a multitude of reasons. But maybe she didn’t need to, at least for now. She was here, and she was holding Tak close to her under the stars. She didn’t need to say anything.

They both understood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be delayed for the next month or so because my Mom is visiting from overseas.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is back, babey! Updating in the dead of night as is the usual. Enjoy!

MiMi’s repairs were finished, and their excuses had run out. Still, Tak stayed. She couldn’t leave, not after everything. That much was clear. They were here together, and neither of them were prepared to let that go now that they had it.

She continued to help Tenn with her work, but progress was slowing to a halt. There were better things than work, they had found. Instead, they would go for strolls through the thick foliage, bringing lunch and enjoying the feeling of the sun on their skin, filtering through the leaves of the trees around them. They would talk for hours on end, watch movies, and generally enjoy each other’s company. Tenn was more athletic than Tak, and reveled in the natural life on Meekrob. Tak, however, ravenously consumed the media, and enjoyed learning about the culture on this strange planet. It was fascinating to her that other cultures lived like this. It began to put into perspective just how repressed and sad a life Irkens lived. Life, when it wasn’t terrifying, was good.

Of course, the Tallest were an ever-looming threat to this thing they had cultivated. Maybe they thought they could get away with it forever. They were wrong.

Because one day, the Tallest sent a transmission through, and Tak didn’t move fast enough from her resting place on the couch. They had let their guard down. The screen flickered to life with the faces of the two most powerful people in Irken society, and Tak froze like a deer in headlights.

“My Tallest!” She snapped to attention, more out of habit than anything else. She noticed with a disconnected sense of surprise that her hands were shaking.

“Tak?” Red asked, as if there had been a mildly interesting development in a TV show he liked.

“We thought you were dead,” Purple muttered, just loud enough to be heard clearly through the transmission. “Wait…” His voice grew suspicious. “Where have you been? You’ve been missing for a long time.”

Tak looked desperately to Tenn, and then narrowed her eyes at the tall Irkens, stepping forward and glaring up resentfully at their disinterested faces, as if challenging them.

“Yes, it’s me. And I have defected from the Irken Empire. Your invader is my hostage, and…” Tak trailed off, trying to think of something, anything that would clear Tenn’s name, “and you’d better meet my demands!” she finished sharply. She brandished her fists menacingly, as if that meant anything at all to the Irkens behind the screen.

There was a pregnant pause, in which both the Tallest and Tenn seemed dumbfounded by Tak’s impromptu speech. Then the Tallest collapsed into uproarious laughter. Tak deflated as they laughed and laughed, and Purple wiped a few tears away before speaking in a more deadpan voice.

“No, but really. You’re clearly defective. Report to Judgementia immediately for your existence evaluation.”

Tenn, who had until that point been frozen in shock, moved to step in front of Tak, as if protecting her from the danger that the Tallest represented.

“No. She’s not going anywhere. Not to Judgementia, not to Irk, and certainly not to another planet to commit atrocities in your name. And neither am I.” She took Tak’s hand firmly in hers, ignoring the looks Tak was giving her.

Red groaned loudly.

“Both of you? Really?”

“At least Tak wasn’t a competent invader. But you too!? This is ridiculous.” Purple punctuated his sentence with a long sip from the milkshake he was holding.

“You’re useless Irkens unless you’re contributing to the glory of the Empire. You’re defects and you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Tenn looked at them with a glare that could have killed. Her face was set in what could have been a snarl, and she held Tak’s hand up, gripping it tightly. When she spoke, her voice was dripping with venom and malice. “Well, maybe we’re not the only ones. Computer, end transmission.”

A beat of silence.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” said Tak. She began to feel her breath come back; she hadn’t realised she’d been holding it. 

“To be honest, neither can I.”

They both laughed a little, testily but genuinely enough. Tenn let go of Tak’s hand, patting it gingerly. They stood around for a moment, digesting what had happened and recovering themselves from the shock. Eventually the adrenaline left their systems, and they began to understand just what their actions had meant.

“Hey, Tak. Don’t try to throw yourself under the bus like that for me again. We’re in this together. I’m not going to let you suffer for my sake, okay? I wouldn’t want to go back to an Invader’s job without you by my side, anyways.”

“Well, that’s impossible now. I don’t think either of us are getting a job with the Empire any time soon.” She didn’t know if that was meant to be a joke. It wasn’t very funny. “What are we going to do now?”

“Well, we can’t stay here, that’s for certain. They’re going to come after us. I don’t want to be around for that. But… where else can we go? Where the Irken empire isn’t in control, we’re deeply hated and distrusted. Where could we stay, and who would be willing to help us?” Tenn sighed and furrowed her brow. It’s not like they had time to think this all through. A target was suddenly on their backs, and they had no plan.

Tak frowned. “I may know a place. A place the Tallest will avoid at all costs. A place they would never look for us. And believe it or not, I may also know someone who can help us. He won’t be happy to see me, though.”

“Where?”

Tak grimaced to herself. She told herself she would never go back. Now, with the prospect facing her, her insides burned with long-buried anger. But it really was the obvious answer. Better than letting the Tallest deactivate them, anyways. “We need to go to Planet Earth.”


	8. Chapter 8

Of course, it was a terrible idea. Earth had Zim, and Dib, and other unsavoury characters. Tak wasn’t too crazy about the human race as a whole, actually. Anyways, they set a course for Earth immediately. Tenn never thought she’d be sad to leave Meekrob. It was just a place she stayed while she conquered it, of course. But Tak’s presence had made it a home. She quickly packed anything she couldn’t live without, and the base was deconstructed within minutes.

The Voot’s space was still small, but they could manage, at least for the flight to Earth. Tak entered the coordinates, and they were off. Somewhere, a Meekrob cheered in victory.

The flight was long, but they passed the time by talking about their plans for the future. Earth was the first step. They could recruit the help of Dib, and begin to find their way in the galaxy. It was the safest place for now, but not their final destination. A peaceful Earth life was not what either of them were cut out for.

The most important thing was to avoid Zim at all costs. He was dangerous, certainly, but mostly he was really, really annoying. Hopefully, Dib wouldn’t expose them to the tiny Irken.

To feed their imagination, Tak told further stories of her time on Earth. She talked about human customs and inventions. Some of them made Tenn laugh, but some of them just fascinated her. 

“Honestly, Tak, Earth sounds so amazing. I can’t wait until we get there. No Tallest to hurt us, no mission, just us.”

“Us and 7 billion humans.” Tak replied.

Tenn shoved her playfully. “You know what I meant.”

Tak smiled. “Yeah. I know.” She was troubled, and her smile wavered after a few moments. “I can’t believe we’ve been labeled defective. I always looked down on Zim for his shortcomings, but now I don’t know if I’m any better than him. I feel all wrong.”

“Well, you don’t have to define yourself on their terms. Maybe you’re not defective. Maybe you’re just different. If it makes you feel any better, you’re the most amazing Irken I’ve ever met. If loving you makes me defective, then I’ll happily accept that label.”

Tak faltered. “Loving?” Her voice was quiet, wavering.

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

Tak buried her face into Tenn’s shoulder, and cried.

After a while, they slept. It was as good a way as any to pass the time, and they were both tired from their startling experience with the Tallest. So began their journey, which would span several weeks. They landed on Earth in the middle of summer, just when the days were the longest and humanity collectively decided it was too hot to do anything but laze about. 

They quickly constructed their new base, close to Dib’s house. Tak immediately assumed her human disguise.

“Next, I’ll help you assemble your human disguise. It’s a good idea to observe multiple humans to get an idea of what they look like. Fortunately, this can be done easily by accessing the Earth’s internet.”

Which is how Tak and Tenn found themselves searching “average human” on google images. They pored over hundreds of different faces, until Tenn had a pretty good idea of how humans looked.

Tenn’s human disguise was stockier than her Irken form, with medium-length curly brown hair that fell around her face in a way that was casual, yet deliberate. She wore a pink dress with a red belt around the middle.

“Good,” Tak managed to say, not feeling particularly wordy in that moment. “Good job, Tenn. Tomorrow, we’ll find the human boy and recruit his help. Hopefully we can convince him to help us, though he’s about as likely to try to open us up on a dissection table. He’s unpredictable.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Tenn mumbled softly. “He’s a child. We’re two competent adults with military training. What’s he going to do?”

As it turned out, it was Gaz who answered the door. She almost shut it immediately upon seeing Tak, but Tak stuck a boot into the door, keeping it open.

“We need to talk to your brother.”

“Is this about your ship? He’s pretty attached to that thing, I don’t think you’re getting it back.”

“What? No, it’s not about my ship! We’re defecting. We left the Empire. We came here to ask for your help. Now, can we speak with your brother?”

Gaz hovered in the door a few seconds more, deciding to what extent she should care about this. 

“Whatever.” She turned inwards and called Dib’s name, then left the doorway, returning to the inside of the house. A few moments later, footsteps were heard, and Dib approached the door.

He seemed almost to clutch the side of the door, peering out from behind it. He immediately caught sight of Tak, and his eyes narrowed.

“Tak! What are you doing here? And who’s this?” He pointed an accusing finger at Tenn. “Another alien?”

Tak sighed.

“Let us inside and we’ll tell you. Is your father home?”

Dib scowled. “No, he’s at work. Why should I let you in?”

“Because we’re on your team. We’re defecting.”

Dib eyed each of them suspiciously.

“Fine. But you’d better not try anything.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Tak drawled sarcastically. This was an ordeal.

They entered the house, and Tak deactivated her holographic disguise. Tenn followed suit.

“I’m Invader Tenn. Or, I guess that would be ex-Invader Tenn. Tak and I are here because we’ve deserted the Empire. We mean you no harm. In fact, maybe we can help each other.”

Dib wasn’t buying it.

“Why would you desert the Empire?”

This time, Tak spoke up. She glanced at Tenn.

“Our relationship is illegal in the Empire. We were marked defective, and our PAKs will be deactivated if they get their hands on us. Look, I don’t like you either, Dib. But I’m here, asking for your help.”

Dib was silent for a long time, staring Tak down. Then he sighed.

“I’m going to regret asking this. Alright, what do you want from me?”


	9. Chapter 9

Dib taught Tenn and Tak the wonders of social media, so they could get in touch with him more easily. Ms. Bitters took great joy in confiscating phones, but luckily the summer break made that a non-issue, at least for the moment.

Dib’s instagram largely consisted of blurry photos of what he claimed were cryptids, as well as pictures of Zim outside of his disguise, obviously taken without the Irken’s knowledge. Under these were often lengthy comment chains of the two bickering with each other, which made Tak’s eyes glaze over to read. She did, however, enjoy it when Tenn read out the comments dramatically.

Gaz’s social media was mostly barren, with the exception of pictures of game consoles and occasionally a screenshot from a game she was playing. A single photo of her and Membrane at Bloaty’s marked the beginning of the account.

Zim’s account was expectedly bizarre, full of completely nonsensical “memes” and badly taken pictures of himself. He didn’t seem to have discovered the front-facing camera yet. Despite this, he had a much higher follower count than Dib. This wasn’t saying much, especially since multiple of these followers seemed to be GIR using different accounts, but it was still surprising. 

Tak’s first decision as co-owner of their joint instagram account was to block him.

Their plan was to stay on Earth until their betrayal was old news and they faded into semi-obscurity in the eyes of the Empire. Then they could move on. But they were likely going to be there for a while. 

About a week into their stay on Earth, Tak received a text message.

[quit your job. join my punk band.]

Tak stared in the message, perplexed, for several minutes before typing out her reply, her sharp fingers clicking pleasantly against the screen.

[I don’t have a job. Who is this?]

[cmon you’re british you can sing punk rock]

[Again, who is this?]

[oh. it’s gaz. dib gave me your number. anyways keef already agreed to be my drummer even though his thing is more softboy than punk. we just need a singer. british people sing punk rock this is a fact of life. in conclusion, quit your job. join my punk band.]

[I’m also not British. I’m Irken. I come from space.]

[close enough. I’ll give you free food?]

Tak sighed. She did need to get into Dib’s good graces to guarantee his help, so maybe this was the first step.

[I can’t believe I’m saying this. Fine. I’ll be in your stupid band.]

[sick. dad’s letting us use the garage to practice. come to my house tomorrow morning.]

Tak needed to get out of the house more anyways. She preferred to hide away in her and Tenn’s shared space, but that lifestyle was simply not sustainable.

So the next day, she met Gaz outside her father’s house. Keef was already in the living room, eating pizza with Gaz while she focused on a video game on the tv. Keef was playing as well, but he wasn’t anywhere near as focused as her, and was clearly losing.

“Oh, you’re here.” Gaz said, no hint of emotion in her voice. “Now we can start.”

Keef, on the other hand, was ecstatic. 

“It’s so cool that you’re back, Tak! I know you left because you were on bad terms with Zim-“ “-Is that what people think happened?-” “-but I hope everyone can be good friends now that you’re back.”

Gaz made a face, and Tak winced.

“Look, Keef. You can’t… talk to Zim about me, okay?”

“Huh? Why not?” Keef tilted his head to one side like a confused puppy.

Tak put her face in her hands, sighing deeply.

“My return is a secret that even Zim can’t know. We can’t ever be friends, Keef. He doesn’t like me.”

Keef frowned, and looked troubled as he walked towards the back door.

“Well, alright, I guess. Let’s just start playing.”

Gaz and Tak followed him, but hovered in the doorway for a moment.

“I’m not above using mind control on him if I have to,” Tak hissed.

Gaz shrugged noncommittally before following Keef into the garage. Inside was a purple electric guitar leaned against the wall and a drum kit covered with copious amounts of stickers.

“You know, I wouldn’t really have pegged you for the drummer type, but I’m glad we have someone, at least.” Gaz kicked an empty energy drink can across the floor. Dib had taken to drinking them when he came in here at night to work on his paranormal stuff. She had to clear the place out earlier, but it had been worth it.

Keef smiled brightly.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I actually started really young. My parents put me in drumming lessons because I never stopped tapping on everything around me, all the time. Turns out I had undiagnosed adhd the whole time. It was good for me to have an outlet, so I stuck with it.”

Gaz nodded, taking in his story without a word. Then she turned to Tak.

“Do you know how to sing? Like, at all?”

“Music isn’t exactly a big industry on Irk. Or any other creative endeavour, for that matter,” Tak said dryly.

“Really? That must suck.” Gaz started to tune her guitar, making Tak struggle to hear her over the sound of the instrument.

“We mostly just do our jobs all day. No room for entertainment or hobbies. You’re lucky if you get a job that lets you relax, like the Invader position. That being said, I’m sure it can’t be that hard.”

“Irk?” Keef asked. Tak could have kicked herself for her carelessness, but she kept her cool.

“Small town in England.” She said. “That’s where I’m from.” Gaz gave her a smirk. The irony wasn’t lost on her, but she didn’t know what else to say. At least Keef seemed to buy it.

“Your town sounds boring.” He said. “I don’t know what I’d do without music.”

“I’d probably be better off not listening to my brother blast Lemon Demon 24/7,” Gaz grumbled. “...But yeah, it would suck. You’re lucky you’re here now, Tak. We can introduce you to our music, and hopefully you sound better than the last singer we tried to bring on.”

Gaz handed her a sheet full of poorly-written song lyrics. They were vaguely anti-establishment, and also vaguely angsty teen drama-y. They practically screamed middle-school, although Tak couldn’t tell the difference between good music and bad music if her life depended on it. She read the sheet silently, instantly committing it to memory. She mouthed some of the lyrics as she read them, finding to her surprise that some of them resonated with her. She supposed that she and this little human girl had some things in common. She set the sheet down.

“Alright, I’ll try to sing this.”

Gaz had finished tuning her guitar, and strummed it experimentally. She smiled, an expression that she managed to make look dark by virtue of being the one to make it.

“Great.” She said. “Let’s play a fucking song.”


	10. Chapter 10

Now that Tak had a commitment to the band, it was up to Tenn to find herself a hobby on Earth. Exploring the city was a mighty task, but it was exactly what she had been trained for. She was looking for something exciting, something that would get her blood pumping. Which is how she wound up joining a softball team. 

The team was full of tall, muscular women, the likes of which you might expect to step off the cover of a sports magazine. Tenn wasn’t tall by Earth’s standards, and Irkens didn’t tend to be muscular, but she had knocked them out of the park with her amazing strength and surprising endurance. Tenn found that the sport helped her relieve stress, although the showers in the changing rooms made her nervous. 

She had been playing softball at the YMCA for a few weeks before she casually mentioned to Tak that she should come to a game. It took some explaining for Tak to fully understand sports. The rules of the game tended to confuse her, especially with no practical demonstration readily available. The rules just wouldn’t stick in her head, no matter how many times Tenn repeated them

Now, in practice, it was completely different. Given, Tak was more focused on Tenn’s strong, strong arms than the game itself, but she managed to at least glean something from the experience (other than the fact that she found Tenn’s arms to be very attractive). Tenn’s team won by only two points, but once the game was over, Tenn came rushing over to Tak, lifting her up and inveloping her in a hug.

“We won!” She hooted, grinning wildly. The rest of the team shook their heads knowingly at her. Tenn tended to be very competitive when it came to sports, and she could be a bit of a sore winner. Tak just laughed, enjoying Tenn’s excitement. Tenn dragged her over to the rest of her team.

“Hey everyone! This is my…” Tenn paused, looking at Tak, “... friend! Tak!” 

A tall, bulky woman in a green tank top clapped Tak on the back, which made her clutch her PAK protectively. 

“Tak! We’ve heard so much about you!”

Tak smiled with a nervous, manic energy.

“All good things, I hope.”

The woman laughed uproariously as if Tak had just told some tremendous joke, and didn’t reply, instead talking to the group as a whole.

“Alright, ladies, good game. We cut it a little close, but I’ll let it slide this time. Also, Tenn, how many times do I have to tell you to bring a water bottle? You’re going to dehydrate yourself! Remember to practice before the next game, alright? We’re gonna beat their asses!”

Tenn patiently listened to the rest of her speech before dragging Tak away, laughing slightly.

“Wow, Tenn. This seems pretty intense.”

“No way! The games are super casual. Carla just likes to talk big. She’s hilarious.” Tenn continued to giggle, seeming to be in a very good mood post-game. Then an idea seemed to strike her. “Tak! I should teach you how to play!”

“I don’t know, Tenn. These rules seem pretty complicated. I’m happy just watching you.”

“No no no! It’ll be fun, alright? I’ll help you.”

And that’s how Tenn ended up pitching for Tak the next day, throwing the ball fast underhand. Tak missed the ball by a few inches, cursing under her breath at the ground.

“It’s okay!” Tenn yelled. “Try again.”

She ran to collect the ball and pitched it several times, but Tak was having difficulty with the bat. Eventually, she threw it down hard onto the grass. It rolled a few feet and then stopped.

“I was an invader! I was a great shot, my aim is incredible! Why can’t I hit one stupid ball!” 

Tenn came closer, picking up the bat.

“Here,” she said gently, handing it to her. “You just need to adjust your grip.”

She put her hands on Tak’s and moved them to an appropriate position on the bat.

“Now reposition your feet. Put one in front of the other, facing where the ball is coming from. Don’t stand at attention like that, it makes it harder to aim the bat. And swing like this.” Tenn guided Tak’s arms with her own. “Make sure to follow through. Don’t lose your momentum. You can do it. Just keep your eyes on the ball.”

Tak’s mind seemed to clear, and she took a deep breath, settling into position. Tenn’s arm arced, and the ball hurtled through the air towards Tak. She could hear the way the wind whistled around the ball, getting closer and closer. She drew her bat back, feeling the weight of the metal and the coolness of it on her skin. She heard the sound of her blood pumping in her head as her muscled tensed, and the moment approached rapidly. She swung, and the bat collided with the ball in a loud crack that rang across the field. It was sent flying across the field, and Tak barely noticed where it landed because the rush of happiness bubbled up inside of her and she dropped the bat and ran to Tenn, who instinctively took Tak in her arms, and suddenly they were kissing. It hadn’t exactly been Tak’s intent, it just ended up happening, as naturally as the sun rising or the grass growing. They fell onto the grass, laughing around the kiss. They were like two balloons, filled with tension that had suddenly been released. They lay in the grass for several minutes, just laughing together, pressed close together under the open blue sky.

“I understand why you like this game,” Tak giggled.

Tenn picked up the ball, and the bat. Then she picked up Tak in her arms again. It almost reminded her of the first day they met, when she had carried Tak from the smouldering wreckage of her ship. How things had changed. She pressed a kiss against Tak’s cheekbone and carried her back to their base. Back to their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how obvious it is I know absolutely nothing about Sports.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters within an hour of each other it’s 2:30 am go crazy go stupid aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Gaz had brought the band together for a meeting. They had met up many times over the last few weeks, and Tak and Gaz had built up quite the rapport, mostly by making snarky quips at one another. They weren’t usually open with each other; that wasn’t Gaz’s style, and Tak was quite private to most people besides Tenn. However, Tak was able to glean a lot from Gaz’s song lyrics, so she understood Gaz better than most. One time, Gaz even asked Tak to write her own song. Tak had written something about the Empire, and about Tenn. Gaz had referred to the song as “a structural disaster, but a banger nonetheless.” Tak had only a vague idea of what this meant.

The issue of a band name was a topic that was frequently debated in idle moments. Gaz favoured ‘Lavender Menace,’ but the title was only two thirds accurate, which wouldn’t do. All Keef’s ideas were too cutesy for the others. Gaz had attempted to make him wear spiked bracelets on several occasions, but his curly red hair and goofy grin made him a punk repellent, much to her chagrin. He was good at the drums, though, and they were friends. Gaz was willing to make some aesthetic sacrifices. 

When Tak had suggested a space pun, Gaz snapped the pencil she used to write lyrics and banned her from suggesting names, which in turn made her suggest more space puns. Not that Tak was particularly punny, but she liked seeing Gaz fighting the urge to smile at her horrible jokes.

A deadline was put on the naming process when Gaz suddenly announced that she had booked them a gig. Tak refrained from asking where and how a twelve year old had managed to book a gig. Instead, she just grinned.

“Warn a girl next time, Gaz. I need to practice my singing. I don’t take showers, so you understand my opportunities are limited.”

“Consider this your warning. We have three weeks to prepare.”

“I don’t know if we’re ready to perform,” Keef worried. “I get a bit nervous in front of crowds.”

“It’ll be fine, Keef,” Gaz said dismissively. “Look, despite being a total dork, you have an undeniable charm. You’re like a friend magnet. You’re also an excellent drummer. People are going to love you, don’t worry.”

Keef fidgeted nervously with his shirt, but nodded. 

“I’ll do it if you want me to. I’d never let down a friend.”

“Good. Now, on the subject of a name…”

“I still think we should just look up ‘band name generator’ online,” Keef said. Gaz glared at him indignantly.

“No way, that’s so unoriginal it hurts. If I had asked Gretchen to be our drummer we could have been Lavender Menace,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, but you’re still too nervous to talk to her!”

“I’m not nervous!” Gaz huffed. “It’s just not the right time yet. You wouldn’t understand these things, Keef.”

“I still don’t see what’s wrong with Space Brigade,” Tak commented.

“Out of the question. It sounds like a band my brother would listen to. And for the last time, we’re not having a space theme.”

“I think space is cool,” Keef protested.

“Oh, don’t you start.”

“See?” Tak said triumphantly. “Two against one.”

“Nuh uh. As both guitarist and manager, I get two votes. And I vote that that name is garbage.”

“That’s not fair!” Keef argued. “You can’t do that.”

And so they argued around and around, for a whole hour. Eventually Gaz called of the meeting, even though they hadn’t gotten anywhere. Keef had gone home, but Tak stayed behind. They were standing in the backyard, near the back entrance to the house. It was getting late, and crickets were just beginning to chirp. Gaz was quiet for a long time, and they just hung out in silence.

“Tak?” Gaz eventually asked. Her voice was free from its usual venom. “You’re not gonna betray me, are you?”

The question surprised Tak coming from Gaz, but she answered as best she could.

“Of course not. I couldn’t now, even if I wanted to. There’s no chance the Empire would take me back.”

“I just really enjoy playing music with you. You’re more checked-in than my brother and Zim, and being friends with you has changed things. So, you’d better not. I don’t know if I could handle it.” She smiled darkly. “I might just snap, y’know?”

Tak smiled slightly. “Gaz, I don’t think you’re nearly as tough as you make yourself out to be. Believe me, I’ve spent my whole life around hardened soldiers, and you’re nothing like them. You just seem to be defending yourself against the world. I don’t know what you’ve been through, Gaz, but maybe it would be okay to let your guard down every now and then. Look where it got me.”

“Yeah.” Gaz’s voice was quiet. “I think with you it would be okay.”

“What about your brother? Aren’t human families supposed to help each other out?”

“Dib and I have had a strained relationship for a long time. And I know that’s partially my fault. It’s just that it seems like he doesn’t care about anything except for his paranormal junk. When he’s in the zone, he’d do anything, step over anyone, in order to pursue whatever monster-of-the week he’s hunting this time. It’s even worse since Zim got here. He’s obsessed, and he refuses to see that Zim isn’t a genuine threat to Earth. It’s ridiculous. So he’s never really had time for me. Dad isn’t much better, either. I love dad, and I respect that he’s busy, but he’s just never around!” Gaz fought back tears and kicked the ground hard. “It’s so hard having to look after myself, and make sure Dib doesn’t get into trouble too. I have to be older than I really am. Neither of them have time for me. But at least you do. At least you care.” Gaz let out a long breath, stopping her tirade. 

“Gaz…” Tak almost didn’t know what to say. Gaz had never shown this side of her before. “I’ll be here, if you ever need me. Whether it’s to do something for you, or just to be your friend. I won’t let you down, okay? Things are going to get better for you.”

Gaz sniffled, and nodded. The stars began to appear, and the moon rose, giant and bright in the sky. It illuminated the face of a twelve year old girl that was just a little bit less scared.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh Dib’s in this one.

Dib was very busy, or so he told himself. Between skool and stopping Zim, he didn’t have much time for anything else. Which is why it took him several weeks since they’d arrived to have a proper meeting with Tak and Tenn. Of course, he saw Tak in passing when she came over for band rehearsal, but he’d never gotten the chance to question her about Irk. Which sucked, because he had been itching to do it for weeks.

When Tak and Tenn arrived, all the lights were off, save for the ones in Gaz’s room, and a single lamp, beside which Dib Membrane sat menacingly on a revolving chair. He wished he had a cat to stroke, but his dramatic flair didn’t rum that deep, and besides that, he was terribly allergic. 

Tak and Tenn, of course, were not at all intimidated, but Tenn did stumble into a coffee table whilst attempting to navigate the dimly-lit room.

“I’ve been expecting you,” said the boy.

“I would hope so,” said Tak, “given that you texted us to tell us to meet you here.”

Dib frowned.

“You’re going to tell me everything you know about the Irken Empire.”

The Irkens stared at him blankly.

“Okay,” Tenn finally said. “Where do you want us to begin?”

“My primary concern is stopping Zim. Tell me about any possible weakness I could exploit in order to take him down.”

“An Irken’s most vulnerable spot is their PAK; they can’t survive without it for long and it holds most of their weapons. Besides this, our antennae tend to be very sensitive. But honestly, that incompetent idiot isn’t likely to ever succeed in conquering Earth, you don’t have much to worry about.” Tak was beginning to wonder whether they couldn’t have just done this all via text.

Dib scowled.

“That’s what they all say. The only thing that’s been keeping Earth safe is me. Despite the information I learned during the Florpus incident, he remains a dangerous wildcard, one that can’t be allowed to run loose.”

Tak gave him a skeptical look. “If you say so. Revisiting strategies that have helped you in the past might prove useful. Wherever Zim has gone in the galaxy, he’s made his fair share of enemies. Hell, I’m one of them. Now, we’re not interested in fighting Zim, but the theory still applies. You want my advice, human? Try being a little more diplomatic.”

“You think that will work? Of course, this is assuming whatever temporary ally I make doesn’t become some new menace to Earth.”

Tak shugged. “Doubtful, since you have the charisma of a piece of celery, but I’d say it’s your best bet.”

Tenn nudged her gently, reprimanding her for the insult. But she had made Dib think.

“You know, it just might work. I will be trying the antennae thing first, though.”

“Suit yourself,” Tak said. “Makes no difference to us.”

“As long as we don’t have to deal with him,” Tenn agreed. “But may I suggest: gun.”

“I’m 13 years old! I can’t just buy a gun!”

“Why not?”

“That’s not how Earth works,” Tak explained, “most lethal weaponry is hard to obtain, especially if you’re a child. Children are dissuaded from fighting at all, actually.”

As Dib watched Tak’s explanation, his expression became thoughtful.

“Wow, Irken society really sucks, huh? So kids can just go out and get weapons any time they want?”

“Well, actually, weapons are basically built into our body from smeethood. We also receive military training which starts from a young age, so we know how to use them. I assume humans receive their weapons as they mature, since humans learn things more slowly.”

“Most humans don’t just have weapons lying around…”

Tenn snorted. “Wow, you guys are just asking to be invaded.”

“I mean, we have a military and everything. But they’re more interested in fighting each other over resources and land than fighting the real menace that threatens Earth. So I’m all we’ve got. I may not have military training or built-in weapons, but I have something far more important.”

“And what’s that?” Tak asked dubiously.

“I have a home to protect. I don’t want to win, I need to win. So Zim can get in his cruddy little spaceship and fly back to where he came from, because this planet isn’t his. Not today, and not ever.”

“I admire your moxie,” Tenn said. “Maybe this is a mutual exchange after all. Well, the advice we gave you was far more useful, obviously. But I think I’m starting to understand humans a little better.”

“And I Irkens,” Dib said, looking troubled. He had always assumed something was wrong with Zim. He showed all the signs of loneliness and desperation. Whenever Dib saw that look in his eyes, he pushed any sympathy he might have had far down. The last thing he needed was to get chummy with the enemy. Zim had made his choice. But for the first time it struck Dib that all of Irken society might just be very, very fucked up. That Zim was just a product of his horrendous upbringing, paired with a brain that didn’t work right by the standards of his society. Dib’s mind went to his own OCD and autism, and his rejection by his father and his peers. A terrifying thought struck him; that he and Zim might not be so different after all.

“We want things to change for our species,” Tenn said. “I know there’s a lot of distrust and aggression between us, but I need you to understand that we are not a monolith. Zim is aggressively obedient to the Empire. He’s brainwashed, plain and simple. We’re not like him. We’re on the same side, Dib. What I’m saying is, I hope we can be friends.”

Dib didn’t know why that made him feel so sick and panicky, but it did. He tried and failed to twist his face into a smile. It came out as a grimace. He didn’t know what to say, so he just shrugged. The Irkens understood, and didn’t press him on it. Friendship was something that might be hard to win from this boy. Maybe there was a reason the closest people to him were his enemies.

Tenn and Tak had come to gain a greater understanding of humanity, and they left with a greater understanding of Dib.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning purposefully parallels florpus don’t worry about it


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gay people real

Tak and Tenn were exploring the city when they found an arcade. Neither of the Irkens had ever been inside an arcade, but Tenn had dragged Tak inside, flitting between arcade machines excitedly.

“Look, Tak,” she enthused, “I didn’t know Earth had stuff like this.” She approached a UFO-themed machine, grinning and pointing. “This is what they think we look like.”

Tak smiled patiently, happy to see Tenn so excited. Of course, Tak was no stranger to video games, after spending so much time around Gaz. 

“Want me to teach you how to play?”

Tenn snapped her head around to look at Tak, eyes wide.

“I can play these?”

Tak laughed.

“Yeah. You have to pay for them, though. You know, it’s funny. I didn’t think you’d be into video games.”

Tenn smiled wistfully and jerked her head at the tacky, brightly-coloured neon. 

“It just… reminds me of home, y’know?”

“That’s not our home anymore,” Tak reminded her.

“Well, yeah, but we grew up there. It was a huge part of our development, and we would be completely different people if we hadn’t been born there. It may not be where we live, but it’s part of who we are. I think it’s okay to acknowledge that.”

“Even after everything they did to us?”

“We can take the good with the bad. If it makes you feel better, I still hate them.” Tenn smiles playfully, putting her head on Tak’s shoulder.

“It just makes me feel weird to think about Irk positively at all, you know? I don’t know why I feel this way. It just feels like any time I try to think about life on Irk my mind closes up. I just want to be here, with you. I like life on Earth, and I don’t want to think about the past.”

“So let’s play some video games. We’re here, and we made it out. You don’t have to think about that if you’re not ready.”

Tak nodded, and fought the urge to cry in the middle of the arcade. She pressed a small kiss to Tenn’s cheek, and reached into her wallet to get some money. The arcade had these little plastic cards you could load money onto and tap to the machine to pay for your game. Money wasn’t an issue for them, as Tak still had lots of it left over from her front last time she was on Earth.

Then they played games. Tenn was champion at table hockey, but Tak kicked her ass at guitar hero, for obvious reasons. They both found the space invaders game to be ironic, and took a photo together posed in front of it, that they then uploaded to their Instagram. Tenn immediately fell in love with the DDR machine while Tak got tired after a few rounds.

“You’re getting soft,” Tenn teased, nudging Tak gently in the ribs with her elbow.

Tak huffed in mock offense. 

“Well, I’m sorry. You play softball every week, it’s hard for me to keep up. I never claimed to be an athlete.”

And then they both laughed breathlessly because it was all a joke and Tenn was getting a bit tired anyways.

Apparently their tickets were also loaded onto the card, which was more boring than the more conventional method, but also more convenient. Not that either of them would know about that. In the end, it wasn’t even enough for a decent prize. All they ended up getting was a small, pink, heart-shaped lollipop, which Tak immediately gave to Tenn.

The sun was beginning to sink towards the horizon when they finally began walking home. They had a few hours of daylight left, so they were taking their time. Tak opened her mouth to speak. Then she closed it again. Then they both started talking at the same time.

“You first,” Tenn said.

“No, no, it’s fine, you go first.”

“I insist,” Tenn prompted.

“Okay,” Tak took a breath, and paused, to the point where Tenn wasn’t sure she was going to speak at all. “What are we?”

“What do you mean?”

Tak scoffed.

“You know what I mean.”

“I guess I do. But it’s easier to talk around it, isn’t it?”

“Oh, shut up,” Tak said, smiling.

“This is hard for me, too.”

“There has to be a better way to do this, doesn’t there?” Tak laughed. “It’s just so hopelessly awkward and terrifying. Do you think it’s always like this?”

“No,” Tenn said, “probably only when you’re honest.”

“So, we live together.”

“Yeah.”

“And… we kissed.”

“I do seem to remember that happening, yes.”

“So, does that make us girlfriends?”

“I don’t think so. But we could be.”

“We could be,” Tak agreed.

Then they both walked in silence for a few minutes, neither one of them willing to actually pop the question. Neither of them were exactly content with their current situation, but it was comfortable, stable. It wasn’t going away any time soon. They were both afraid. But love is stronger than fear.

“Do you… want to be?” Tenn prompts.

“Of course. I love you.”

The answer seemed so obvious. Of course Tak loved her; how couldn’t she? They were connected in a way they were convinced two Irkens had never been. They had fought everything together, and come out smiling. And now they were living here, on Earth. They weren’t Invaders. They weren’t powerful, or revered. But they were happy, because of each other. So of course the answer was obvious. It was the answer Tak had given with her actions since she’s crashed on Meekrob what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“I love you too,” Tenn said.

They held hands all the way home.


	14. Chapter 14

One week until the concert, and they still hadn’t agreed on a band name. Gaz was getting anxious about it, but you wouldn’t know it from the way she shot down most of the ideas the other two had.

Purple Menace and the Softboy was a strong contender, although Gaz maintained that she refused to include “Softboy” in the name of her punk band. It had been Keef’s idea of a compromise, but it looked like that name was off the table.

Tak’s well of space puns had dried up, but that didn’t stop her from needling Gaz about the old ones. They’d all kind of run out of ideas, but none of them wanted to settle for second-best. It seemed cheap and insincere. For being the most hardcore about it, though, Gaz was awfully slow to offer up her own ideas.

Needless to say, their search for the perfect band name had no end in sight. Which is why Gaz had tasked them both with coming up with a list of ideas, and left the room to go cool off. They wrote in silence for about ten minutes, but Keef’s eyes kept sliding over towards Tak.

“Why don’t you come to school anymore?” He finally asked, looking down at the paper.

Tak stiffened. She didn’t want to expose herself, but she didn’t have a good excuse ready. A few seconds of tense silence passed.

“I moved schools,” she finally said. “My father wanted me to go somewhere more… hygenic.”

“Really?” Keef arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing her.

“Yeah. Sorry for leaving, but my father’s tastes are rather expensive.”

“Hm. Well, okay.” Keef shrugged, though he clearly still had reservations.

“Why do you always do that?” Tak asked before she could stop herself. She immediately kicked herself for it, but there was no taking the words back now.

“Do what?”

“Agree with everything everyone says all the time? I know you don’t believe me.”

“So they’ll like me?” It was a statement, but he said it more like a question.

“I’d still like you if you stood up for yourself.”

“Are you asking me to question your story?”

“Well, not specifically right now,” Tak conceded. “I just mean that you should be more assertive.”

“I want to be everyone’s friend, though. If I’m nice to them, they’ll like me.”

“That doesn’t mean destroying your own boundaries.”

“Look, it’s different for you. You’re really cool, and everyone else thinks so, too. You’re funny, and have a good fashion sense, and you know when to be quiet. I have to do this because otherwise people wouldn’t put up with me.”

“That’s messed up. We don’t put up with you, Keef. We hang out with you because you’re our friend. Look, where I come from, you have to stand up for yourself, or you’ll never make it in the world. It’s just how things are. I know things are nicer here, but the world’s going to eat you up if you keep hurting yourself to accommodate other people.”

“Where do you even come from? I looked up Irk online, it’s not even a real town, and the way you talk about it makes it sound like some nightmare realm! Nobody’s going to get me for being too nice, Tak.”

Tak sighed. She crossed her arms, and then uncrossed them again, thinking.

“I’m sorry,” Keef said. “It’s really none of my business.”

“No,” Tak replied. “You’re my friend. You deserve the truth. Just don’t freak out, okay?”

Tak stepped backwards, and slowly deactivated her holographic disguise. Keef gaped at her as she tugged at an antenna and opened her glittering purple eyes, illuminated by the bright, artificial glow of the fluorescent light bulb overhead.

“So… I’m an alien. An Irken, to be specific, not that that means anything to you. I come from the planet Irk, but I fled my leaders with my girlfriend, Tenn. Our relationship is illegal in the Empire. Now we live here, together. This planet is one of the only places in the galaxy where we’re safe. It’s our home.”

“Woah!” Keefs eyes were wide, and he circled Tak, letting it sink in. He almost reached out to touch her, but realised that would have been awkward. His heart was racing with excitement, and their previous conversation was forgotten in the thrill of being face-to-face with a real, live alien. Keef stopped in his tracks, still staring. “Wait, does Dib know about this? He’s obsessed with this stuff. I bet he’d freak if he knew there was a real alien in his garage.”

“Yes, Dib knows, and so does Gaz. We have a truce, luckily for me. That boy is a menace. That’s about everyone who knows the truth. You’re one of the only people on the planet to know about this, Keef. So please keep this between us. If this gets out, I could be in big trouble. And I’m beginning to like this planet, as well as the people on it.” Tak nudged him with her elbow playfully. “So just keep your mouth shut about it, or I may just have to erase your memory!”

“What?” Keef frowned.

“Just kidding,” Tak said with a wink. She was only half kidding, really, but she wasn’t in the habit of threatening small children anymore. Especially not small children that were her friends. If Keef couldn’t keep a secret, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

“Of course I won’t tell anyone, Tak! I’d never betray a friend. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Great,” Tak laughed, releasing tension she didn’t know she’d been holding, “now let’s think up some band names before Gaz gets back and has our heads.”

“Wait,” Keef said, an idea on his tongue. “I have it. The perfect name for our band.”

He scribbled furiously on the cheap notepad Gaz wrote lyrics in, and ripped the page out. He handed it to Tak.

“It’s perfect.”


	15. Chapter 15

“You’re on in 15 minutes,” a bored stage announcer said to an irritable Gaz who had been trying to get her eyeshadow right for the past ten of them. She had worked with Tak to set up an appropriate hologram beforehand, and she herself had perfected the blend between goth and punk. The eyeshadow was the final piece, the striking red contrasting everything else to make it pop. 

This may have been one step above school recital, as the place was very child-centered, but it was to be expected given that two thirds of the band consisted of 12-year olds. Nonetheless, Gaz despised it. If she was old enough to take care of herself 90% of the time, she was old enough to hear a swear or two. Making her songs clean had been a roadblock for her, and she still stewed on it a bit. 

Still, today was a big day, because her family was here. Her dad and her brother would be there to see her, and that made filtering her songs worth it. She peeked out from behind the stage, looking for her dad in the audience. She noted Tenn in the audience, and MiMi in the seat next to her. She spotted Membrane easily, as he was one of the tallest people scattered in the cheap plastic chairs. However, the seat next to him was empty. A sinking feeling made its way into Gaz’s stomach, and her hands became fists. 

“Stay here,” she told the others, and made her way over to her dad, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.

“Dad, where’s Dib?”

“Oh, hello, honey! Your brother just stepped outside for some air. You know how he gets around crowds, he’ll probably be back in a minute.”

“It’s not that crowded…” Gaz looked at the seats around her; it wasn’t like people were lining up to watch her play. Which made her all the more salty that she was still a kid, but it should have been fine for Dib. Unless...

Gaz stormed past her father, towards the double-doors by the entrance, and began searching for her brother outside. It didn’t take long before she found him with his nose in some sort of alien contraption, studying it thoroughly.

“Dib…”

“Hi Gaz, just stole this and I’m trying to figure out what it does before Zim notices it’s gone. Will you cover for me?”

“Dib, my show starts in ten minutes,” Gaz reminded him.

“Oh… Sorry, I kind of lost track of time. Well, I’ll be right inside as soon as I wrap this up, okay?”

“Dib!” Gaz yelled exasperatedly, trying to grab the machine.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” Dib covered the device defensively, taking a step away from his sister. “Just go get ready, I’ll meet you in there, okay?”

“No, you won’t! It’s always like this!” Gaz kicked the sidewalk hard with her boot. “I thought for one day you could just support me without bringing your stupid paranormal obsession into it. But that’s never going to happen, because you only care about yourself!” Gaz pushed him on the chest, voice cracking with indignation. She’d been doing better recently, but her rage had been building up, and now it had reached its peak. Dib had always been like this; she didn’t know why she bothered getting upset about it anymore.

“Just calm down.” Dib seemed more irritated than anything. “I’m not stopping you from playing, am I? I just have to finish this. To stop Zim.”

“Argh! It’s always Zim! He’s not an actual threat, you realise that, right? He’s harmless! Why are you so obsessed?”

“Look, you wouldn’t get it.”

“And why’s that? Get over yourself, Dib. Stop making everything about you.”

“You wouldn’t get it because you’re dad’s favourite. I have to prove this to him. He needs to know I’m not crazy, that I’m worthy of his time. He cancelled everything just to be here tonight and watch you play. So enjoy it. Have fun with your show, okay? Seriously, I wish you the best.”

“You… are such a jerk!” Tears leaked from Gaz’s eyes despite her best efforts, making her makeup run. They were hot, angry tears that she wiped away with hands trembling from rage. It was then that Keef came outside, cutting short what may have well been a very unpleasant encounter, if it had continued any longer. Gaz tried to compose herself, but didn’t do a very good job of it. It was unfair that today of all days had to be a bad mental health day, she thought.

“Gaz, we’re almost on. Woah, are you okay?” Keef looked with concern between Dib and Gaz.

Gaz turned her back on a shocked Dib, and grimaced with a bleak determination.

“I’m fine. Let’s go. Wouldn’t want to keep anyone who actually came to see us play waiting.”

As they headed inside, Keef almost asked her what had happened, but she shot him a look that told him not to. She had other things to worry about, and her squabble with her brother could go on the backburner for now.

There was no time to fix her makeup, no time to make her face look less red. This was it, she was baring herself to everyone in the audience, including a bunch of skoolkids Keef had invited. She hated to do this, but Keef and Tak were depending on her to play. Maybe if she experienced an emotion or two, it wasn’t the end of the fucking world.

“Gaz, you don’t have to do this if you’re not feeling up to it. We can set up something another time,” Tak told her, clearly sensing her inner turmoil. Besides the very obvious external signs of her distress.

Gaz shook her head, and rolled up the sleeves of her leather jacket.

“I’ll fucking do it,” she declared, with a finality that Tak didn’t feel she could argue with.

They stepped onto the stage to mild applause, and the look of relief on the announcer’s face was immense as she leaned into the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we present Apathetic Abnormality.”


	16. Chapter 16

Gaz was lucky she didn’t sing, as the pit of rage making its home in her stomach was beginning to rise up into her throat, until she thought she might choke on it. With every strum of the guitar, she felt vibrations rise up through her fingers. Despite the purple ear defenders she was wearing, the speakers still made the electric guitar loud in her eardrums. She took satisfaction in the sensation, and aggressively strummed at the strings, trying to release the trembling anger she felt deep within her. Every song had been practised to perfection, and there was little room for error. Gaz had been borderline obsessive about memorising each song perfectly, and it was finally paying off.

She only faltered when Dib slid into his seat next to Membrane and shot her an apologetic smile. She looked anywhere else but at him. The last thing she needed now was to lose her momentum.

Tak belted out the lyrics just like they had practiced, and Keef was killing the drums, despite his anxiety prior to the show. At one point, when Tak sang a particularly romantic lyric, she pointed into the crowd at Tenn, who just about died on the spot from the gesture.

Despite the rocky start, they were at their best, and the admittedly small crowd (Keef had invited most of the Skool, but not many had actually shown up. Notably, Gretchen had.) was eating it up. So the concert, if it could be called that, was going great.

Until the door was kicked down with a familiar scream of rage.

“Dib-thing!”

Zim’s shout was almost drowned out by the music, but Tak had caught sight of him. She dropped the microphone in shock, and Keef and Gaz stopped playing along with her. Zim hadn’t been paying attention to them, but the screech of the microphone made him turn his head. His eyes narrowed.

“Tak,” He hissed in surprise.

“Zim,” she said disdainfully.

Dib used the moment of tension to make a break for it, and in his surprise Zim didn’t even notice. The room was filled with a silence that was both awkward and tense. Then Tak picked up the microphone.

“Sorry, folks. Looks like the show’s cancelled. Well, it’s not a punk show without a good brawl, is it?”

She rolled up her sleeves. Gaz could have cried from pride. Keef ducked down below his drum set in fear.

Zim’s eyes widened, but he wouldn’t be cowed by threats. 

“You! What are you doing here? I kicked you off this lousy planet!” Zim very quickly realised that everyone in the room was looking at him. He seemed indecisive for a second, just hovering in place. They could almost see the cogs in his mind turning. His pause was long enough for security to come and take him away. He screamed and kicked like a feral cat, but he wasn’t as strong as them, and was kicked onto the curb. Tak heard desperate clawing and knocking from the other side of the doors. Then she heard nothing, which disturbed her decidedly more.

The room was filled with stunned silence. Tak didn’t know what to do, so she did the only thing that entered her mind: she dropped the mic again and marched off the stage. This place was probably gonna need some new equipment after the way she’d treated the mic. The others quickly hurried backstage after her, and they heard the small crowd burst into hushed conversations.

“Sorry for stopping our concert,” Tak sighed. “Zim is a menace.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Gaz assured her. “It’s Dib’s,” she said, her voice trembling with barely-contained rage.

“Hey,” Keef said, “we got through most of our set. Let’s let sleeping dogs lie.”

“Not only is the dog awake, Keef, but it’s foaming at the mouth and trying to bite my head off. If there hadn’t been a crowd, I don’t doubt Zim would have tried to kill me. Not that he would have succeeded, but I digress. I’m just glad Tenn stayed quiet. Who knows what would happen if he knew she was here.”

“What are you going to do about him?” Gaz asked.

“I don’t know,” Tak admitted, “I had mostly just planned to avoid him completely. I can’t risk him turning us in to the Tallest, but I’m not entirely sure what to do about him.”

“Maybe you should try talking to him,” Keef suggested. “I know you two have a rocky history, but if you defuse the situation now, then you can avoid bigger conflicts in the future.”

“Maybe that’s not a bad idea. The empire has hurt him as much as it’s hurt me; all I have to do is convince him of that. Anyhow, I have to catch up with him before he gets back to his base.”

“Get his ass!” Gaz yelled.

“Don’t get hurt!” Keef said with equal amounts of gusto.

As Tak rushed to exit the building, Tenn intercepted her at the front doors.

“I’m coming with you,” she said.

“No. He doesn’t know you’re here yet. We can use that to our advantage.”

“Well, at least take MiMi with you. I don’t want you going after him alone.”

“Alright. I’ll be safe,” Tak said, and leaned up to kiss Tenn’s forehead. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”

“I trust you to handle yourself. Go get him.”

Tak grinned and ran out of the building with MiMi following close behind her, tense and ready to attack at any moment.

“I’m going to try to reason with him,” Tak said, mostly to herself. “I’ll make him see the light. It’ll be fine.”

She cut across alleys, trying to reach Zim’s base before he had the chance to. Soon enough she reached it, panting slightly from the exertion. Just moments later, Zim came barreling around a corner, running as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. He stopped short when he spotted Tak, his face falling.

“Zim,” Tak said, trying and failing to keep the malice out of her voice. “Let’s talk.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Get away from me, Tak! I know you’ve come for my mission, but I won’t let you take it from me.”

Tak laughed.

“I don’t want your stupid mission.”

“I knew it!! Wait, what?”

“Yeah, in case you haven’t heard, I quit being an Invader.”

“You were never an Invader.”

Tak glared at him fiercely before continuing.

“I left the Empire. I’m only here because it’s the only safe place I know of right now. I don’t want to fight you,” she lied through gritted teeth, “but you can’t turn me in.”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

“Because the Tallest don’t care about you! They never have.”

“Liar!!”

“Zim,” she said with conviction, “this planet’s name is spelled wrong on our maps.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!”

“Don’t you notice that they’re constantly laughing at you? That they mock you? That they’ve tried to kill you several times?”

Zim made a face like he had smelt sour milk. 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. Your mind-games won’t fool me, Tak!”

Tak put her head in her hands.

“You are genuinely so stupid,” she groaned.

Zim extended his PAK legs, preparing for a fight. Tak extended her own in retaliation, but didn’t strike. They only circled each other like cats waiting to pounce, every muscle and mechanical joint tensed and ready to attack at any moment.

“Your sister’s here,” Tak blurted.

Zim’s face fell, and he quickly scrambled to regain his mask of indifference.

“Tenn??”

“Yes,” Tak confirmed. “We’ve grown… rather close recently. We’ve been living here together for some time, though it’s not our final destination. We’re looking for a safe place.”

“This is my planet! Neither of you are welcome here,” Zim said, as coldly as he could. “I think the Tallest will be happy to finally know the location of the Irken who’s been causing them so much trouble.”

Tak growled, fed up with Zim’s stubborn attitude.

“Fine,” she snapped. “MiMi-“ but MiMi wasn’t at her side like she had been. “Where’s MiMi?”

Zim rolled his eyes, and started moving towards her. However, she moved quickly towards his base, yanking the door off its hinges, and barrelling inside. The TV was on, but nobody sat on the couch.

“That’s where I left GIR.” Zim said from behind her, his voice subdued. “He never pulls himself away from that thing if he’s not interrupted.” He just stood there, calculating.

“I’m sure he’s in the base, somewhere.” He paused. “But I’d better check, just in case. This isn’t over,” he hissed at Tak.

“I’m coming with you. You’re not ratting me out to the Tallest when I’m not around. Besides, wherever GIR is, MiMi could be with him.”

Zim hesitates, frowning. “Fine,” he eventually spat. “I can’t stop you. But once I find GIR, you’re done for.”

So they had a small truce, even if it was short-lived and hostile. Once the base had been thoroughly searched, Tak began to panic. Zim kept a steady face, but Tak could tell he was nervous by the way he kept pacing back and forth and wringing his hands. 

“I’m going to text Tenn and see if she’s at home.” Tak pulled out her phone, but Zim snatched it from her.

“No! I- we don’t need her help. We’ll find them, okay? Just think. Where would they go?” 

“I don’t know where they’d go,” she snapped, grabbing her phone back and putting it back in her PAK, “that’s the whole point. They’re lost.” Tak put her head in her hands and sighed. “Why does this always happen? Does GIR often get lost?”

“Oh yeah, all the time,” Zim said, “but he’s usually just at-“ his eyes light up “the taco place. Maybe they’re there!”

Zim took off at a sprint down the road, and all Tak could do was follow behind him as he lead the way to the shop.

The bell jingled as Zim slammed open the door, and a multitude of heads turned to stare at them.

“Master!!” A familiar, high-pitched voice screamed, and a green blur immediately barrelled into Zim at full speed. Zim slumped, and the tension left his body. “We got tacos!!”

MiMi approached less enthusiastically, winding through Tak’s legs as a show of affection. Tak bent down to her level.

“You’re gonna be the death of me.” Tak said with a laugh. MiMi tilted her head, and her eyes glinted in the fluorescent light of the dingy fast food place. Tak stroked her head. Although she knew MiMi was entirely as intelligent as herself, when she picked up the mannerisms and appearance of a cat it was hard not to treat her like one sometimes.

When she rose from the floor, she saw Zim, staring at her. He looked tense and defensive, like a wild animal you just found rooting around your garbage. She acknowledged him with a nod. They walked into the parking lot, and Zim took a hard seat on the curb, making sure to keep an eye on GIR, who was racing around the parking lot, chasing MiMi.

“At least they seem to be getting along,” Tak noted.

Zim barked a bitter laugh and nodded.

“Look, I’m sorry for just showing up. I didn’t know where else to go. But please let us stay. I like my life now, Zim. Tenn and I… we’re rebuilding something the empire took away from us. I know you can’t be satisfied like this.”

Zim sighed. “I don’t know what you mean, Tak. I’m an Invader. I have status.”

“Come on, Zim. Don’t you ever wish things were different? The Empire treats you like shit and you can’t even see it! They’re never going to respect you, Zim. You’re like us.”

Zim stiffened. He glared, and when he spoke it was in a harsh yell.

“Don’t you think I know that!? I know I’m the biggest screw up in the history of the Empire! I hear people whispering, I’m not an idiot! I know how much they hate me. But what can I do about it? I’m nothing like you, I actually want to succeed! So all I can do is strive to be someone worthy of their respect.”

Zim paused, and Tak stared at him silently in shock. He composed himself and spoke again, more quietly. His voice was cold.

“So yeah, I guess I do wish things were different. But don’t we all?”

He stood up.

“I won’t turn you in. But you need to leave my planet. I don’t want you here, and I sure as hell don’t want your help.”

He turned on his heel and walked away, scooping GIR up in his arms on the way out.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, I promise this fic is still running, and I have lots of plans for the future!

Tak left feeling somewhat deflated. She fished her phone out of her PAK, and noticed a few worried texts from Tenn. She skimmed them and then typed her own:

[On my way home. See you soon.]

Tak walked slowly with MiMi trailing behind her, scuffing her boot on the ground. Earth had never been their final destination, but she was still upset at the thought of leaving it. It was the first place she and Tenn had been able to live freely. When she left, there was no more band practise with her friends, no more softball, no more arcade games. There would always be Tenn, though. Any situation was bearable as long as they were together.

She reached into her pocket for her keys and unlocked the door. MiMi rushed into the house ahead of her, deactivating her disguise. Sometimes Tak forgot to deactivate hers until she saw herself in the mirror. It troubled her sometimes, how natural it was now to exist as a human now.

Tenn was in their bedroom when Tak opened the door. Tak flopped down on the bed next to her, and sighed.

“I talked to Zim. We have to leave.”

“What, now?”

“I mean, it’s not like he gave us a deadline. But I got the impression he doesn’t like sharing this planet.”

“We could kill him?” Tenn said, half joking.

“I made the mistake of underestimating him once. I’m not about to make the same mistake again. Besides, one wrong move and he could turn us in to the Tallest.”

“Where are we going to go?”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure something out.”

Tenn took Tak in her arms and kissed her forehead, gentle and sweet.

“Let’s worry about that tomorrow. You’ve done enough, today.”

Tak felt herself sink into the bed, tired, aching, and emotionally exhausted. She curled an antennae around Tenn’s, relaxing in their shared space, and let herself be.

MiMi walked into the room and curled up next to them, keeping watch of the room. Tak put a hand on her cool metal. Tak had known what a family was, in theory. But here, as waves of relief washed over her at their safety, she finally felt like she had one. A real family.

As she drifted off to sleep in Tenn’s arms, she mused to herself that maybe humans weren’t so crazy after all.

Their next step, Tak decided, was to consult with Dib. He had promised to help them, after all. They could use his help with this. However, he still wasn’t crazy about Tak, so Tenn was the one who would be doing most of the talking.

They arrived at the Membrane household a little after noon. It was Sunday, so skool wasn’t on. Tenn rang the doorbell and waited for the sound of shoes towards the door.

Dib opened the door suddenly, but his face dropped when he saw it was just them.

“I’ll get Gaz.” He said.

“No.” Tenn replied. “We’re here for you.”

Dib pointed at himself, almost disbelieving.

“Alright, I guess. I can clear my schedule. Unless Zim acts up.”

“Speaking of Zim…” Tak trailed off.

“Wait. Let’s get inside.” 

Dib ushered them inside quickly, and shut the door behind them, locking it for good measure.

“So. What’s the deal?” He asked.

Tenn sighed.

“We have to leave.”

Dib’s face remained neutral.

“Okay.”

“Zim has discovered our presence on this planet, and as you can imagine, he’s quite territorial over it. Now, Tak and I have no intention in getting in a fight with him, especially not after last time. On the other hand, we have to keep a low profile from the Irken Empire. What we need is a safe place. Somewhere to go where the Empire won’t find us, or at least somewhere where they don’t have power. We thought, because of your connection to Zim, you might be able to help us.”

Dib sat back and thought for a few moments. He picked a soda can up from the coffee table in the middle of the living room, and Tenn noticed the dark circle the liquid made on it. Dib tapped his fingers on the can thoughtfully, and then snapped them.

“I don’t know much about Zim’s contact with other aliens, but lately I’ve been keeping tabs on his conversations with one guy in particular. I think he’s a prisoner or something?”

“And how does a prisoner help us?”

“No, you don’t understand. This guy hates the Empire like you. They must have conquered his planet. And I have a way to talk to him.”

He holds up what appears to be a complex kind of alien laptop, but Tak and Tenn immediately recognise it as Irken technology.

“Zim used this to communicate with other aliens. But yesterday, I stole it from him. I don’t think he’s noticed it’s gone yet, but he probably will soon.”

Dib hands the laptop to Tenn. 

“Anyways, I don’t know who Zim talks to on a regular basis, but I’d guess that guy’s a pretty good place to start.”

“Okay. Thank you, Dib.”

“Hey, a deal’s a deal. Plus, it’s nice to meet an alien I don’t have to fight for once. Just give it back to me later, alright? I want to use it too.”

“You got it.”

Dib smiled wryly. “You know, I kind of envy you. It must be nice to have all that up there, waiting for you. You’re lucky you’re not stuck here, like me.”

“You know, I’m really going to miss this place. You’re not as unlucky as you think.” Tak said. “Earth is really nice compared to Irk.”

Dib looks down. “Zim never really talks about it. Anyways, Earth is nice for everyone else, but it sucks for me. They all go about their lives, unaware of the danger they’re in! And in return for trying to help them, I get…” he clenches his fist. “The only person who knows I’m not crazy is Zim, and he’s the one trying to destroy Earth. Well, and Gaz, I guess. But she just doesn’t care.”

Tak wasn’t used to having to comfort humans, and she could see that their lives were so radically different that any advice she could give him would be useless.

“Things will change one day. Nothing ever stays the same, Dib.”

Tenn smiled sympathetically.

“Hey, you’re the only person I’ve ever known to successfully keep Zim under control. I dare say you’d make a pretty good Irken.”

Dib didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment.

“Well.” Tak said after a few moments of silence. “We’d better get going. See you again soon, Dib.”

And so they went home, for what might have been the last time. They saw the things they had accumulated over their time on Earth. They sat down on the bed, and Tenn set the laptop down between them.

“Right. Let’s have a look at this, then.”


End file.
